Plunket Shield schedule announced

New Zealand Cricket has released the Plunket Shield schedule for 2014-15 and has said it has locked in a format for the domestic season for the next four years. The first round of matches will be played in late October, followed by two full rounds in December, and the remainder of the competition will take place from early February onwards.

"Our major associations told us certainty of scheduling was crucial, so this season's format will be in place for the next four years," David Cooper, the general manager of domestic cricket with NZC, said. "It's a key outcome from the Domestic Cricket Review, which is all about maximising entertainment and commercial opportunities, and supporting high performance.

"Recommendations from the review will be in place this year, to capitalise on public interest in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. The Plunket Shield has been domestic cricket's most fiercely fought prize for 108 years, and is the testing ground for future Black Caps."

The schedule for New Zealand's domestic limited-overs competitions will be released in the next two weeks.

Oct 23-26: Northern Districts v Auckland, Whangarei
Oct 25-28: Canterbury v Wellington, Christchurch
Oct 26-29: Central Districts v Otago, Napier
Dec 11-14: Wellington v Auckland, Wellington
Dec 11-14: Canterbury v Central Districts, Christchurch
Dec 11-14: Otago v Northern Districts, Dunedin
Dec 18-21: Canterbury v Otago, Rangiora
Dec 18-21: Northern Districts v Wellington, Hamilton
Dec 18-21: Auckland v Central Districts, Auckland
Feb 6-9: Wellington v Canterbury, Wellington
Feb 6-9: Auckland v Northern Districts, Auckland
Feb 6-9: Otago v Central Districts, Invercargill
Feb 15-18: Wellington v Otago, Wellington
Feb 15-18: Central Districts v Northern Districts, New Plymouth
Feb 16-19: Canterbury v Auckland, Rangiora
Feb 27-Mar 2: Northern Districts v Central Districts, Whangarei
Feb 28-Mar 3: Otago v Wellington, Queenstown
Mar 1-4: Auckland v Canterbury, Auckland
Mar 9-12: Canterbury v Northern Districts, Christchurch
Mar 9-12: Otago v Auckland, Dunedin
Mar 9-12: Wellington v Central Districts, Wellington
Mar 17-20: Central Districts v Canterbury, Nelson
Mar 17-20: Auckland v Wellington, Auckland
Mar 18-21: Northern Districts v Otago, Hamilton
Mar 25-28: Otago v Canterbury, Dunedin
Mar 25-28: Central Districts v Auckland, Napier
Mar 25-28: Wellington v Northern Districts, Wellington
Apr 1-4: Central Districts v Wellington, Napier
Apr 1-4: Northern Districts v Canterbury, Mt Maunganui
Apr 1-4: Auckland v Otago, Auckland